Five Hours a Year novel · Chapter 6 of 24

Chapter 6: The Offer

Desmond Marr came up in the elevator on Monday at ten, carrying a leather folder and the same warm smile.

I was at the front desk, and I saw him through the glass before he saw me.

"Leah." He opened his arms again.

I stepped back.

"Desmond. You told my mother you were flying home."

"I did. Then I flew back out." He let his arms drop and didn't seem hurt. "I couldn't sit in New York and let you two tear each other apart. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Right here is fine."

The office manager looked up.

Two associates had stopped at the coffee machine.

Frances came out of her office with a pen behind her ear, and Desmond turned to her with a kind expression.

"Frances. It's been years. You look well."

"I look sixty-one. It's cheaper to say it." She leaned on the desk. "You want a conference room? I have one."

"Please."

I texted Alec from my phone, under the desk.

Desmond is here. Conference room. 20 min, billable.

I did not wait for an answer.

Desmond sat at the long table with his folder in front of him.

Frances took the seat beside me.

"I'll be brief," Desmond said. "Alec is in no state to represent himself, and the firm has an obligation to the client. That's you, Leah, in a sense. You're a client's spouse."

"I'm not a client."

"Of course. A friend." He opened the folder. "The firm is prepared to offer you two hundred thousand dollars, tonight, if you sign the dissolution and drop any further claim. A clean settlement. You start over here, with a cushion."

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